The nice thing about smartphone cameras is that you can instantly share photos using your data plan--but the quality of a point-and-shoot like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5K trumps your phone shots, and we're recommending it in our 2012 Holiday Gift Guide. Even better? The SZ5K packs onboard Wi-Fi that allows you to take great pictures, and then share them immediately to your smartphone for sharing (it works with both iOS and Android devices.) You can a 14.1 megapixel sensor with 720p video recording and 10x optical zoom. They sell for $199.99, but you can pick one up on Amazon for $189.99, saving yourself 5%.

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We bring you an in-depth look at the Nikon 1 J1 in this episode. We chat with Nikon's Steve Heiner about the compact point-and-shoot, which features a new mirrorless, small sensor system that packs in a flash module. The camera can grab 10 megapixel stills, records in full 1080p, and is the fastest autofocusing camera in Nikon's entire line. The Nikon 1 J1 even lets you capture images and 1080p video at the same time. This video was recorded at CES 2012.

If you've got someone on your gift list that needs a new point-and-shoot camera that also takes great video, we'd like to recommend checking out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. This is the point-and-shoot that we've been using for the past 8 months or so, and the quality is great. Video recordings look superb in high definition, recorded in AVCHD Lite. You've got a 25mm ultra wide-angle lens with 16x wide-angle optical zoom, facial recognition, and other bells and whistles. What we love about this camera, though, is that it has GPS built-in to geotag your photos and videos automatically, on the fly, as you take them. The ZS8 retails for $279.99, but Amazon is currently selling them for just $194.99 - a savings of $85!

This morning Panasonic hit us with the details of the forthcoming Lumix LX5 camera, and we’ve gotta say, it sounds awesome. Previously, the Lumix LX3 was the Lumix point-and-shoot that was most coveted in the line, with Panasonic focusing that camera on being able to take fantastic photos, despite boasting fewer megapixels than competing models. The LX5 takes things to the next level. It keeps the 10-megapixel CCD sensor (which we like,) and improves upon dynamic range and low-light performance. It’s got a better Leica lens and a new image processing engine—again, all focused on making your photos look great.

The Lumix LX5 Leica lens is an F2.0 24mm, and has 3.8x optical zoom (the LX3 has 2.0 zoom.) Obviously, if you want more zoom, you’ll have to look elsewhere, but if you can live with that limitation, you should seriously check this one out. It also records 720p video in AVCHD, and has an LED backlit display for better color reproduction and better visibility outdoors. Rounding things out are image stabilization, face recognition, and creative movie mode. The Lumix LX5 goes on sale in August for $499.

Pentax has just put out a set of point and shoots with the E85 and M85. They both have 12 Megapixel CCD sensors, and bodies that are nice and slim. The E85 has an 2.7 LCD and a VGA movie mode for about $186. The M85 (pictured above) can shoot 720p with a 3-inch touchscreen, and includes shake reduction and face detection for a price of $263.

Casio continues rolling out their fall line of digital cameras, following up on the announcement of the EX-Z450 and EX-Z90 units with new announcements of the EX-Z280 and EX-Z33.

The EX-Z280 is a 12-megapixel ultracompact, with 2.7-inch LCD. It also has a wide-angle lens with 4x zoom, and 720p HD-quality video capture with the green screen Dynamic Photo function seen at CES last January. It will be available in September for $179.99, and you can pre-order it on Amazon.

The EX-Z33, pictured above, is a 10-megapixel model with 2.5 inch LCD and 3x optical zoom. It features face detection, VGA movie mode, and other scene modes. It will be also be available in September for $119.99, and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

Samsung has recently announced the CL65, an intelligent camera that has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS geotagging. It also has a 12.2 megapixel sensor, 5x optical zoom, 720p movie mode, HDMI output, as well as a 3.5 inch touchscreen that utiltizes Smart Gesture user interface. So not only can you shoot great pictures, but you can upload them to Facebook and other sites with ease. It should be released next month at a price of $399.99.

Sony has recently added to their CyberShot collection with the DSC-WX1 and the DSC-TX1. Both of them are 10.2 point-and-shoot cameras that have facial detection, smile shutter, anti-motion blur plus multi-shot modes, wide panorama capability, plus 10 frames per second shooting.

As for the differences, the WX1 (left in photo) has a 2.7 inch LCD, a Sony G lens, 5x optical zoom with f/2.5 maximum aperture, 720p HD movie recording, and an “Exmore R” illuminated CMOS sensor for better low-light handling. As for the TX1, it has a 3-inch LCD and a Carl Zeiss Tesar lens with 4x telescopic zoom.

The Sony Cybershot DSC-WX1 will be released in October for a price of $350, in black. The DSC-TX1 will be available in September for $380 in silver gray, pink, and blue. Full release, after the break.

Olympus never does anything simply but you always know they will be innovative. Their E-P1 combines the simplicity of a point and shoot and the optics of an SLR. It has the A/V quality of an HD camcorder and high-end audio recording. The cam features a 12.3-mexapixel interchangeable lens system with a virtual imaging studio inside. The silver and black Olympus PEN E-P1 is available for pre-order starting at $799.99.

Our fave wholesalers have come up with a new pocket-sized point and shoot 5 megapixel Digital Camera with 3-inch TFT LCD screen. With high res JPEG images and MPEG4 AVI video capability, it features easily adjustable settings such as red eye fix, white balance, and 3 burst shots. The cam is also PictBridge compatible and comes with a USB and AV cable combination and pouch. At a price of only $99.99, we can probably forgive its uncool chartreuse color.